Bugle Rocks and VB!!

This weekend was brightened up by the green surroundings of the famous Bugle Rocks in Basavanagudi. Another favourite Bangalorean hangout, the rocky area with all the greenery is enjoyed by youngsters and elders, for their own different reasons. We could see kids happily sliding down the rocks and chasing each other, elders relaxing in the many cemented seats, the health freaks walking around in the park, and ofcourse, couples huddled together in various corners ;).

The Bugle Rocks has a history behind it. It was a watch tower in the kingly days. On spotting enemies, the soldiers used to ring the bugle and warn their counterparts to be ready for the oncoming danger.


After the relaxing time at bugle rocks, Vidyarthi Bhavan is the next stop. Famous for its masala dosas, especially the way the waiter balances 15 plates of masala dosas, the place is buzzing with activity. You need to wait atleast for 15 minutes before you can get a seat. But when you taste the masala dosa, you will agree that it is worth the wait. Drain it down with a cuppa piping hot coffee, and that for sure makes your day.

A drive to Nandi Hills

After a tiring whole week, we decided to do a little day trip to some place nearby. Nandi Hills was what first came to our mind. We had my cousin over for the weekend and also having heard so much about Nandi Hills, we thought, well why not?

We decided to start at 9:30 am. Uh Oh.. spoke a little too fast there. Breakfast was at home - parceled from the Kadambam restaurant in ITPL. By the time the three of us and the little one got ready and actually hit the road, it was noon. We took the road leading towards Saibaba Ashram in Whitefield (after crossing Whitefield station). At the nearest gas station, we filled up fuel, made sure the tyres were ready for the drive ahead and also picked up a few food and drink supplies. The Whitefield road finally hit one end of the Old Madras road. Taking a left there and traveling a little further down, a right took us towards Budhigere. The roads and the scenery here onwards is beautiful. Though pretty narrow and winding, the roads are laid well and are comparatively less used. Mostly the evenings find truck traffic. Else its pretty empty and a pleasant drive. Both sides of the roads were filled with red, yellow, violet flowering trees. We even found a nest in a small yellow leaved tree. Lots of stops for pictures and some villages later, we reached devanahalli village. From the village, we had to cross the airport ring road at a particular point and on the other side was the road which took us to Nandihills.

The hill at one point when you see it from below, is actually shaped like the Nandi. The entire drive through the ghats while crossing from one hill to the other, had decent roads. Just before the ghats and after crossing the airport ring road, a patch of the road was bumpy. The hairpin bends were really steep. There was just one road for both onward and return traffic. This did not bother us much since there was not much crowd that day.

At the ticketing counter, we could either park the car and walk down, or drive inside the gates too. The garden inside was maintained well, with lots of flowering trees and play areas for kids. There were monkeys all around, waiting to jump on an unsuspecting victim. They were ready to pounce on any tidbits discarded by the tourists. It was really cute to see the mother monkeys running around with their babies latching onto their tummies.We saw the Tipu Palace, and the Nandi temple. The thing about this temple which stood out was the natural stony flooring. The earthy feel was retained. The view from various look out points was really breathtaking. There was a neatly maintained KSTDC hotel atop the hill. Though the menu was limited, and service not upto our expectations, it just about catered to our hungry tummies.

However, the best part of the entire journey was the return trip. The same route was even more beautiful in the fading evening light. From one point we could see the devanahalli air strip. There is a lake nearby and we walked down to the edge of the lake from where the take offs were a treat to watch.


The day thus passed wonderfully. If you are looking for a nice little quick outing, nandi hills could well be an option.

(Psst... The Budhigere route that I spoke about earlier, also is a quicker way to reach the Devanahalli airport from Whitefield)

Brahmin's Coffee Bar

It's surprising how Bangalore still has these age old little foodie joints still going strong. The first little joint I was truly thrilled about was Raghavendra stores. This weekend, another one was waiting to grab my attention.

Brahmin's coffee bar. (What a simple yet eye-catching name!) This little bar is located in Shankara puram, and long long ago started as a small shop with just a table and a stove on the table, which would spew out hot idlies and vadas. This was THE joint for BMS college goers, who used to cycle down this path and were welcomed by the owner with a quick breakfast of idli, vada chutney and some piping hot coffee.



Brahmin's coffee bar is still a small shop (though the table and stove have migrated to an actual potti kadai with the stove inside), and some tables outside. The idly and vada with the chutney is simply awesome and, you know my fancy for kharabath by now ... yummmmmm.... Coffee.. well, the coffee was absolute heaven. The taste lingered in my mouth for the next half of the day. I couldn't make myself eat anything else, fearing it would spoil the taste of the coffee. (Until, ofcourse, the thought of a corner house hot chocolate fudge made me change my mind!!)

Brahmin's coffee bar ... Go for it!

Squirrel celebrating Tamizh Varsha pirappu

Happy new year little squirrel - he seems to enjoy the mango rice on Tamizh new year.

Whitefield in Spring 2009!!

Pune Mumbai Expressway

The Pune Mumbai Expressway is something which makes one really glad by its existence. The distance between Pune and Mumbai by road has decreased substantially, thanks to the Expressway. Also, the number of lanes allows travellers to avoid any traffic jams and go at their own speed, following lane discipline.

From Pune, we can reach the expressway through the Pune university road, which takes us over a bridge towards Wakad. Before we enter Wakad, one should take a left deviation which goes towards Hinjewadi. When we reach the flyover, instead of going over the bridge, take a right turn below the bridge. This is the road which finally joins the Expressway. After travelling a little further more, and passing the Indira Institute of Management, another deviation takes you to the Expressway.

On the way, there are some tunnels that you have to pass through, and they are worth more than a mention. They are beautifully lighted up and give a thrilling experience to the travellers.

The median throughout the journey on the expressway has beautifully tended flowering plants and greenery all through. These are being maintained through the year by constant watering and they are refreshing to the eye. Clear signboards all along the way indicate anything to be aware of, the approaching fuel stations and their distances, the approaching tunnels and toll booth distances.

Travellers encounter a small ghat section on the way, where the road narrows considerably, and the speeds also reduce to a great extent. Also, the roads, though neatly laid, lack the smoothness and are bumpy in a lot of areas where two concrete sections join, causing inconvenience to passengers sitting on top of the wheels!

What is a journey without a mention of the eateries. Before reaching the Expressway from Pune, we pass Soul Curry - a restaurant which is known for its South Indian meals. Also, each and every gas station we pass on the express way, is very neatly designed and has rest rooms and restaurants where we can re-fuel ourselves, along with our vehicles. :).

Squirrel Antics for you :)

Check out this link for some more details :) -
http://oooligans.blogspot.com/

Foodie weekend!!

Well! This is turning out to be a real foodie blog, but I just can't seem to help it! :) Here's something that I tried over the last long weekend. Since it was August 15th, and we didn't want to venture out, so the only interesting thing left for me to do was try out some new recipes. Also, there was this huge basket of aloos which I (health)consciously avoided for the past two weeks. I needed to use them up before they sprouted in front of my eyes :P. Since now it was decided it was going to be Aloo, there would be no compromise on the amount of oil either!!! Aloo roast it was going to be. Yumm! Here's a simple recipe which I first heard from my sister in law. But remember, you need to be patient while the aloos get the right amount of roast.

Boil potatoes. Heat oil in a kadhai (put in 2 teaspoons to start with), let some mustard splutter. Add some chana dal and turmeric powder. After chana dal gets a slightly brownish tinge, add the boiled and cubed potatoes into the Kadhai and spread them in the kadhai. Mix one teaspoon each of besan, red chilli powder and rice flour (and also salt as per your taste), separately in a cup. Spread this mixture evenly over the aloos in the kadhai. Pour oil over the aloos, so that they absorb the above mixture. Cover the kadhai and let the aloos roast. After sometime, flip over the aloos and let the other side cook. Here's how they look finally!

Malleswaram station and Raghavendra Stores!

The above place in Bangalore was revealed to me when a relative was admitted in the Manipal Northside hospital two weeks back. And boy! what a revelation! :)

Just opposite to the hospital is this heavenly eat out called Raghavendra Stores. A modest little place, where these guys prefer only handling the orders for a very limited tiffin menu, ofcourse apart from the piping hot tea and coffee. (After all, what's tiffin without some traditional cutting to go along?). Though options maybe limited, this does not deter the huge crowds that come trooping along to dig into the dishes here.

THE item TO GO FOR here is the Bangalore special, solpa khaara, solpa sweet - CHOWCHOW baath. The combination of khaarabaath and kesari is just awesome. Gulp it down with the traditional tumbler of coffee, what more can you ask for! If sweet is not something of your preference, have the khaarabath with a crispy vadai, mmmmmm! I'll leave the imagination to you. The idly vada, chutney sambar combination gets quite a few takers too.

A sight to see here is the number of people flocking into this little eatout, in their Innovas and Corollas, getting huge casseroles and plastic covers, filling them up with khaarabaath and vadais and what ever else they fancy. We also have relatives from the hospital smuggling some of the delicacies and taking it to their loved ones. :D. What is the use of being admitted in Northside, when you don't experience Raghavendra stores!

FOOD!

MMMMMMM!!!! :) It's that time of the year when I am only thinking of food, cooking new dishes and something to keep munching on! (If you are wondering why, I myself am at a loss for reason. Probably the rains?) When it happens though, I am on an all time high. So there ... let's enjoy it while it lasts.

Mad Tea Party absolutely makes you mad with the mouth watering recipes and even more delicious pictures of them. Don't believe me? Go take a look then!
Khandvi and Cabbage pakoras are what I tried out from there. I took a few pictures of my own dishes from my own kitchen, when they were ready to be gulped down, and here's how they looked.

A few more trials and I think I should be able to perfect on these. The curd I used for the khandvi had turned a little sour. I would have liked it better if it hadn't. The pakoras were good. Again, Iwas a little impatient here and made huge ones, instead of the dainty ones shown on Mad Tea Party :). Size didn't matter to me :D, hunger did!! :D.

Thiruvannamalai – June 14th - 15th 2008

TVM – Thiruvannamalai!
A2B – Adyar Ananda Bhavan!

This weekend was a sudden trip to Thiruvannamalai. Hubby dearest having read a lot about this place, had to visit this place and was looking for the right time to do that. So after getting some quick details from cousins and friends about the routes, hotels, et al, on Friday night, we decided to leave the next morning, stay one night and return by Sunday evening. The stay part was just so that it wasn’t too much of a strain. But finally it did prove to be a good decision, as we covered more places than we would have in one day.

Saturday – 8:15 am – We left Bangalore and reached Hosur, from where we proceeded towards Krishnagiri. Taking the Tirupattur – Thiruvannamalai route, as, though this route is about 10 km more than the Krishnagiri – TVM route, the road however, is better than the heavily potholed Krishnagiri-TVM route. So, after a stop at the way side A2B restaurant and filling petrol, and another refreshing stop at a tender coconut stall, where we ended up picking some mangoes and guavas as well, we reached the Ashram of Ramana Maharshi at around 1:15 pm. On checking if we could stay there, we got a negative response, since pre-booking was necessary to stay.

We then proceeded to Hotel Trishul (Found this on the internet and it was rated highest). Pretty decent I must say. Having dumped our bags here, and after some lunch and a much needed siesta, we left to visit the famous ashrams. The first stop was “Sheshadri ashram” (Ramana maharishi was his disciple). It was a pretty little place in a perfect rustic setting. It had a small meditation room and lots of peace and quiet! Then the next stop was Ramana maharishi ashram. Compared to the previous one, this was bigger, with more people, a temple, and lots of peacocks flying and screeching their throats out! There were also tons of our ancestors monkeying around J. The specialty here was that there was a pathway leading to the Virupaksha caves in the middle of the TVM, and also to the Skandashram nearby. While proceeding towards the caves, we can see quaint little rocks covered by clothes hung on wooden lines, which provide as a shelter for the aspiring sanyasis.

It was 6:30 pm by the time we left the ashram and proceeded towards the Arunachaleswarar temple. This temple is at the base of the TVM. It is a huge temple with at least 9 gopurams. The main deity here is Lord Shiva and his consort Amman (Abithakuchamba). There was a place from where all the 9 gopurams could be sighted, and there was also a model of the temple made which showed us the locations of every point within the temple. After visiting the two deities, we had our dinner at Hotel Ramakrishna, and then scooted back to the Trishul and slept early (the India Pakistan finals was on, and India was on the way to a defeat, so there was no point staying awake for that match!).

Sunday – 7:00 am –
After some coffee and a refreshing bath, we walked back to the Arunachaleswarar temple. This time we entered through the main entrance (there are four entrances). Lord Murugan’s deity was installed immediately at the entrance. That was where Lord Murugan appeared before Arunagirinathar Swamigal – who composed Thiruppugazh in praise of Lord Murugan. After paying due respects to the lord, we again proceeded to the Shivan deity, which was at the other end of the premises. On the way, there were a lot of other smaller deities and also a huge water body, not to forget the Elephant which blessed us when we gave it some small gift. We visited the Pathalalingam – which is the lingam placed lower than the ground level. We need to climb down a few steps to see this deity.

After the visits to the 4 deities, we had some good breakfast and awesome coffee at hotel Arunachala, just behind the temple. Though the temple was beautiful and well maintained, I can also not forget to mention the sad state of affairs around the temple. The dirt, slums and beggars was really heart rending to watch, and makes one wonder if there really was more that could be done to maintain the place.

We then checked out of Trishul at around 10:30 am, and asked our way around to find the Girivalam. Girivalam is a 15km pathway around the TVM hill. It has 108 lingams en route. We can either walk around, or even drive around. Due to lack of time, we drove around the pathway. The views of the hill were breathtaking from here. Sanyasis also were aplenty along the route. On completion of the Girivalam trip, we proceeded towards Bangalore.

I almost missed mentioning the fresh vegetables and flowers (at pretty cheap rates) that we bought at the market place of thiruvannamalai before leaving. One must surely not miss out on buying these!

On the way back – we took another sudden 18 km diversion towards Saathanur Dam. With pretty little villages and excited farmers posing for pictures on the way, we reached the dam and spent an hour looking around the lush green garden and checking out the dam engineering! So it was 12 pm by the time we left the dam and proceeded towards Bangalore. Another half an hour stop at the Hosur market for some Rice, and it was 4:30 pm by the time we reached home sweet home in Bangalore! Not bad at all!

Home sweet home!

Back at home and having a good time :) .. doing what though? Nothing but idling away my time!! :) Doing all the things that I used to consciously avoid all these days. Little things, but of great importance, I am sure you would agree - :)

Getting up, but not before 8 am!, reading a book as soon as I get up from the bed, not bothering to clean up the table - knowing well it needs some good amount of re-arranging and dusting ... aaaah.. heaven!!! How good it feels to just laze around, and not having to worry about it!!

:) Enjoy it while it lasts, is what I tell myself... Though it does feel nice to be doing (or, not doing?) such things, with the sudden burst of energy I get after lazing around, I can't seem to stand all the mess which I knowingly tolerated all this while!!! :D. So lazing once in a while is a good thing after all I suppose...

Awesome win at T20!!!!

What a match that was last night!!! Awesome, thrilling, fantabulous and what ever words you can think of! The Indian's for once, did not lose focus and proved their might. :) And am I happy or what! The entire country was cheering for the 10 players on the field, and the Indian team, I should say FOR ONCE again, did not let us down.

Watching the match on the terrace canteen (terabyte as we call it endearingly) of our office, all the folks were almost competing against each other as to who could cheer the loudest and most! Every run scored, and every wicket taken was followed by the loudest cheer and the highest jumps one could ever witness. And what a high we were all on - unbelievable. When this was the case with about 100 people watching the match, imagine what the entire nation cheering put together would have sounded like!

A thought crossed through my mind as to what if the players were able to hear the entire country's cheers for them. Whew! Way to go India. And keep up the attitude and spirit in all your matches. Play to enjoy the game, and dont get bogged down by the pressure of all the Indian's on your back. Though, I must admit, we do get over the top most of the times, but its because we love you and the game. And we will always do - whether you win or otherwise.

Marriage, Mexican fried rice, et al

Well now - hello all - I am back and yes - with a bang! :) Having been given the tag Mrs. to my name, experimenting with various aspects of my life, cooking being one of the most important of them!!!! Amidst all the confusion and excitement of setting up our new house, my sister in law and me busied ourselves in trying out various new dishes, with hubby dearest being the unsuspecting victim.
One of these culinary attempts of ours dished out something we termed as Mexican Fried Rice! And I must say - it turned out pretty well!
We started by tossing in 3 chopped tomatoes, a few green chillies and some cilantro into the mixer. In a pan, add some oil and let a teaspoon of mustard sputter. Add finely chopped onions and saute till they turn golden brown. Pour the smoothly blended paste of tomatoes into the pan.
Now for the best part - the veggies that go in. American sweet corn, chopped red and yellow bellpeppers, some green peas if you please - all these go into the tomato paste. Add salt to this mixture and While it cooks, pressure cook rice with lesser water than usual, so that you get non-sticky consistency. Once the mixture and rice are done in their own separate ways, mix both of them - and voila! there is your lip smacking mexican fried rice. :) :)

Quick peek

In the midst of all the madness these days at home ... :) ... I must mention a pleasant and enjoyable madness though ... Popped in for a quick peek into my favourite place :) on a special day ... Here's wishing all the visitors a HAPPY VALENTINES DAY.
It will be a while before I blog again. Signing off on a happy note.. See you all soon.

Happy New Year (Or what?!)

Dec 29th 2006 - 2 days behind the New Year. The countdown has begun... Lots of mails flowing across - with wishes for the new year, lots of offers across all the malls, lights, decoration at the workplace, and what not.

I am at work now ... The work place is close to empty. Everyone has either have left for the day, or are on leave since the past week. And those who are here, am sure (I hope, atleast, cos that's the frame of mind I am in :D) are in no mood to work. I am looking at the clock tick away, ever so slowly, and am waiting for it to strike 6, so that I can bang shut my laptop (quite literally), turn off my desktop server monitor (Not shut down - because a test is running on it you see), and rush through the peak hour traffic and reach home. Reach home, yes, and what next? [Well, the next thing that I think of is some hot snack with a steaming cup of tea] currently, the thought of food is the only source of excitement for me.

Drudging along through my work load, ever so half heartedly, I can't stop wondering - why all this fuss about entering a New Year? I was one of them too, a few years back - One of them who loved the fan fare around the New year arrival, and who was very much a part of the celebrations and get togethers with friends, to welcome the new year until and beyond mid-night. And, yes, I maybe one of them this year as well. I maybe, for all you know, loving the feel of the new year dawning, and the lights and the colors and the happiness around.

But right now, at this moment, I cannot seem to understand what all the fanfare is about? Why do we all enjoy the arrival of a new year? Somehow, the beginning of this new year brings with it a feeling that time just absolutely flies. I feel as though I just finished celebrating the dawning of the year 2006, and before I could even let that feeling sink in, its time for 2007!! The years seem to be running by, and they, ofcourse, don't give us a second chance.

Talk of brooding, and I somehow manage to do that really well. Well, since the year 2007 is anyway going be here soon, so might as well enjoy the fact and receive it with all the fanfare and the excitement. And since there is a nice weekend before 2007 hits us, let me start, maybe, by making a list of all I would like to do in 2007. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007!!

Uncertainties

Another one of those days... When I am feeling like a lost puppy in the big bad world.

Life's inconsistencies and my indecisiveness are taking a toll and I need to sit and think about a lot of things and rearrange my thoughts.

But, sadly, my heart will not let me do it. I am too scared to open up my mind and let myself think, lest it makes me take some decision which my heart will not agree upon. Am I scared to face life and its various realities? I don't want to believe that, because I think I am prepared for whatever, WHATEVER damn situation I am going to face.

But then, is that true? Am I really prepared for what I might face? It's easy to console oneself that life has innumerable challenges and that we must and will take it as it comes ... On facing it actually, pop goes my so called determination and there I go, getting weak in my knees and refusing to believe that well, that's that. That's how it is and will be.

By the way, it actually feels better when thoughts come out clear on paper. Feels lighter and well, maybe now I can rearrange my thoughts afterall, and life's uncertainties are not as difficult as they seemed a few seconds back!!

Last few months

It's time - The child has grown up. It's time for him to say good bye to his parents. It's time for him to go away - to be on his own. Away from his parents - the people because of whom he is here today and is what he is today.

The parents go through a plethora of emotions, and so does the child.

Parents - Happy to see their child grown up and able to handle things himself. Happy that they have brought him up well and have helped him reach this level. Happy that their child has achieved a lot and is ready to take on the next phase.
Sad that they will not have him around any more. Sad that they will miss his laughter, his activities around, his enthusiasm to do things... Sad that the child will not be there anymore to be pampered and cared for.

Child - Happy that he is going to face the world all by himself. Happy that he is going to be independent. Happy that he is getting his chance to explore and learn new things and can think of exploring ideas which would otherwise be difficult to do under the care of his wary parents.
Sad that he will not have the same care to help him through difficult times. Sad that he will not have his parents around to listen to his achievements. Sad that he will not experience the love and affection of his parents.

A thoughtful little fella...

I met this little fella yesterday, who must be hardly about 10 years old - And, Oh my God! Wasn't I shaken out of my dream world!! I had a wonderful, thought provoking and a totally enjoyable conversation with him for about an hour.. and here's what he had to say -

LB - Akka, I just hate this city life. The noise and the pollution just irritates me no end. I want to go far far away from this city and live in a world of my own. My dad has some ideas of building a farmhouse. Wouldn't that be great???

I am planning to start a Wild Life Sanctuary, and do some Agriculturing also. We can have 3 dogs - two to protect the sanctuary and 1 for our protection. Also we will have a guest room, so that we can invite weary travellers to take rest there ... ofcourse we will not let them into our house, because its not right to trust anybody.

We will take all near to extinction animals, and take care of them so that they have children and their numbers grow. I am going to plant lots of trees, so that I can get the vegetables and fruits for daily use from them itself.

Me - But kutti, where will you get the money for all this? You know, I have just fallen for your idea, but it isn't that easy to start off on it.

LB - (thinks a bit and states matter of factly) - But Akka, if we start a wild life sanctuary - The Govt will fund us, will it not? So there goes the problem of funds!! Also, I have 2000 bucks in my piggy bank, and my father has saved money for me as well.

Me - (Wow!!!! What do I say here????).

LB - Akka, I won't even go to school, because all the knowledge is available in books, and I can just read them and improve and learn about the world.

Me - However, if you want to get a job later in life, you would need a degree certificate dear boy, and you would have to go to school and then college for that to happen.

LB - But why do I need a job? I can work as an officer in my own Sanctuary and help in the project to make the animals and greenery stay intact. What do you think of this akka? Can you please talk to amma and make her understand that we must do this and we must help our nation grow in the right direction? Akka, we must also control the population growth and stop breaking down trees and forest areas - we must build lots of trees and make people understand that if the trees are all cut down, we will not be able to live any more and lose all the comforts and the beautiful weather that we enjoy. People just understand all this, do they?

Me - True dear boy and its amazing that you have a great idea like this in your little head - and I would love to think that this will happen in the near future. Keep up this thought and work towards your dream. I am sure it will work out some day.

[Isn't it a wonder that a 10 year old loves the world so much and wants to do so much for it. And we, the common people, know all about the imminent dangers, but still pretend that life is just rosy, and turn a bl

Wada paav and chai ...

Just the plain thought of it makes me drool, imagine what would happen if I actually was gorging on it right now!!! Wada paav and chai is one of the most famous snack - A favourite among people in the state of Maharashtra - starting from school kids to as old as 70 year olds...

Be it for breakfast, lunch or an evening bite - Wada paav is the unconquerable leader.

College days was when I was introduced to this delicacy! Starting at a meagre Rupess 3 for a wada paav and a 2 rupees 50 paise for a cutting (this was how a half cup of tea was known as) - this was the most affordable and lip smacking eat.

What with a few pennies in hand, all of us friends had no better work than to sit at the all time favourite Gokul bhaiyya's katta and gorge on the wada paavs and a cutting each. All the while, the guys making sure that they don't miss out on any of the babes coming out of the ladies hostel, and us girls just content with each others company and enjoying the stupid jokes (:P) that the guys used to crack.

Wada paav is basically potato wada (which also has lots of coriander, ginger and garlic), stuffed in between the two folds of a buttered and toasted Paav (you could call it a burger bun), with a generous spread of ground nut chutney and onion slices. A bite of this heavenly concoction, and a sip of tea to go along ... yummmmmmmm... you need to experience it to understand what I mean here!!

Kudos to the discovery of wada paav. :). Oh how I missed it in my 3 and a half years of stay in Bangalore!! And those who haven't had a taste of this - what are you waiting for??? Get up and GO EAT ONE immediately!

Psst - An advice... I have not tasted as good a wada paav anywhere else in India. So don't take a chance and taste one outside Maharashtra!!